You’re researching how to begin and run a sustainably profitable e-commerce store. Then you came to this page. You found your way here out of millions of search results that came out of the keyword.
Indeed, we cannot deny the importance of learning from eCommerce influencers. The fact that their names appear online signifies that they are authority figures in their respective niches. They’ve been through important experiences and gained substantial knowledge, skills, and wisdom that can and will help you bolster your eCommerce dream.
But while there are many self-proclaimed top e-commerce influencers, it’s imperative to choose wisely when deciding who to follow.
In this article, we’ll review some of the top-recognized experts in the ever-growing e-commerce industry who represent various niches.
Richard Lazazzera(A Better Lemonade Stand)
Richard Lazazzera is one of the top e-commerce influencers and the founder of A Better Lemonade Stand. Oops, don’t think of lemons here. A Better Lemonade Stand is an online incubator that empowers and assists thousands of e-commerce store owners in achieving sustained success in their ventures.
Richard began his career as a marketing personnel and later ventured into the e-commerce business. With his marketing background, Richard started A Better Lemonade Stand as a platform to communicate best practices, tricks, and tips that he learned as he built his businesses. It also aims to empower prospective individuals to become e-commerce entrepreneurs following a framework that he tested and succeeded with.
While doing that, he collaborated with Shopify and helped them to achieve over 200,000 merchants from a 60,000 benchmark. Partly thanks to him, Shopify is now the king of e-commerce platforms, and it continues to grow at lightning speed.
In 2015, Richard resigned from Shopify to commit fully to A Better Lemonade Stand in his pursuit of helping eCommerce sellers grow.
Mike Jackness(EcomCrew)
Mike Jackness and his partner Dave Bryant founded EcomCrew, an online platform that provides resources such as blogs, podcasts, and premium memberships for aspiring and established eCommerce entrepreneurs.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in online marketing and developed intensive experience in affiliate programs. He then launched his own eCommerce business via Treadmill.com. Surprisingly, he sold products worth over $1 million during his first years.
In 2014, he sold his first eCommerce venture and began several eCommerce brands with a consolidated annual revenue of over $7 million. His businesses continue to grow, and he has become an acclaimed model for many aspiring eCommerce geeks.
Through EcomCrew, Mike shares invaluable lessons, drawing from his own experiences in eCommerce.
Justine Gener (Cener Ecommerce Mastermind)
For sure, you’re a member of one or two Facebook groups, and for all you know, these most likely suck. Yes, most groups nowadays have severely deficient engagement and unsustainable page views. But that is not the case with Cener Ecommerce Mastermind.
Justine Gener is a full-time e-commerce entrepreneur, an e-commerce coach and consultant, and the brilliant mind behind the Cener eCommerce Mastermind. It is a private Facebook group about starting and earning via a Shopify store. Today, it has over 50,000 members who are actively engaging in the group. His reach continues to grow as the mastermind expands with the growth of the eCommerce industry.
Most of the resources Justine shares in the group focus on the print-on-demand eCommerce business model. He willingly discloses everything from scratch, from the methods, tools and product ideas he uses, to designing a Shopify store, as well as Facebook advertising.
Austin Brawner(Ecommerce Influence)
Austine Brawner hosts the Ecommerce Influence podcast, a leading resource provider for neophytes and advanced learners. The podcast reaches thousands every month and has become a source of inspiration for those who aspire to achieve financial freedom through eCommerce.
Austin interviews many successful entrepreneurs and online business owners of various backgrounds, struggles, and success stories throughout the podcast. Because of these diverse eCommerce business owners, anybody can relate to the viewpoints shared by these successful online business personalities.
Whether you are lost on how to kick off an e-commerce project or e-commerce marketing campaign or struggle with maintaining growth in your online store or the e-marketing space, this podcast is for you.
The podcast also covers various articles on relevant topics such as digital marketing, email marketing, search engine optimization, and productivity hacks for eCommerce entrepreneurs. It’s your one-stop shop for the essential information you need to build a profitable eCommerce business.
With the growth of his audience and influence, Austin has also worked with premium brands such as Kettle and Fire, MVMT, and Four Sigmatic. Moreover, he runs another successful venture called Brand Growth Experts.
Gretta Van Riel (Hey Influencers)
In one of your searches, you must have come across Skinny Me Tea.
Founded in 2012, Skinny Me Tea is the world’s first “teatox” brand, having sold over 11 million cups of tea worldwide in just five years. Pretty impressive, right?
Gretta van Riel is the brilliant woman behind this very successful venture. As her first business grew, she expanded into building other profitable brands, such as The 5th Watches and Drop Battle.
Gretta is a prominent figure in social media marketing. On Instagram alone, she has over 16 million dedicated followers.
Alaa Hassan(Ecommerce Training Academy)
Why do you want to gain financial freedom through eCommerce? Are you passionate about the industry? Do you have this insatiable belief that it works and opens up vast growth opportunities?
Ask Alaa Hassan such questions, and you’ll get a resounding “Yes”. Among the influencers, Alaa seems genuinely excited by the eCommerce industry.
This desire pushed Alaa to start the E-commerce Training Academy, an online platform offering content, courses, webinars, and other resources related to e-commerce topics.
Alaa mentors over 30 eCommerce entrepreneurs worldwide and has been invited to multiple events and conferences as a keynote speaker. Alaa ensures that all of his students are given the keys to success, providing them with the tools and skills to build sustainable eCommerce enterprises and ultimately achieve e-commerce success.
Drew Sanocki(Nerd Marketing)
Sure. Some starters or even advanced sellers require a step-by-step approach to learning the industry and accomplishing desired results. If you’re one of them, don’t worry. Drew Sanocki has your back.
Drew started Nerd Marketing and hosts the Nerd Marketing podcast, in which he reveals the different facets of the eCommerce industry. He’s got it all covered, from how to open and design a Shopify store to scaling up profits through targeted Facebook marketing.
Before engaging in that, Drew launched DesignPublic.com and turned it into one of the best online design retailers. In 2011, he sold the venture and turned to marketing to boost other businesses, including brands such as SaaS company, Teamwork.com and Karmaloop.com.
Anton Kraly(Ecommerce Lifestyle)
Anton Kraly runs and hosts the E-commerce Lifestyle podcast, a rapidly growing resource that has gained traction, especially among employed professionals.
Unlike most e-commerce blogs and podcasts, Anton’s goal with E-commerce Lifestyle is to help his audience achieve financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.
For the past 12 years, Anton has worked with various eCommerce businesses. His specific mission is to establish and optimize growth systems that boost businesses while keeping them streamlined. That’s eCommerce efficiency at its finest.
Corey Ferreira (Shopify)
No doubt. Shopify dominates the web in terms of references for eCommerce blogs and compilations of related resources. Almost every eCommerce-related keyword you type in search engines will reflect resources from Shopify. Shopify ranks first for numerous pages and posts in eCommerce.
Corey Ferreira is one of the core teams that brought Shopify the huge success it is today. He’s one of the best eCommerce influencers you should follow, especially if you want to learn pioneering strategies.
Corey has written countless publications and hosted online training on Shopify, Social Media Explorer, and Entrepreneur. And it does not stop there. Major publications have also featured him.
Ezra Firestone(Smart Marketer)
Ezra Firestone founded Smart Marketer and now serves as its CEO. Smart Marketer is an online platform that provides both free and premium resources to help entrepreneurs create profitable eCommerce businesses while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
Before that, Ezra launched his first online venture, My Costume Wigs, as a side hustle. Drawing lessons and skills from that, he then started his second and most successful eCommerce brand, BOOM!
With his growing business, Ezra began networking with fellow eCommerce entrepreneurs and marketers. In 2013, he co-founded Smart Marketer, a platform for sharing valuable insights about the eCommerce industry.
Dive Deeper with “Not Another eComm Podcast” by Seller Snap
In addition to following individual online influencers, consider tuning into “Not Another eComm Podcast” by Seller Snap on YouTube. You can also access their content through their website’s webinar and video library page.
Seller Snap provides a wealth of informative videos covering various topics. These include but are not limited to Amazon repricer and repricing strategies, leveraging technology platforms, effective Amazon selling techniques, reselling, branding, expanding your business to a global market, and more.
The insights shared in these podcasts extend beyond Seller Snap’s expertise. They feature insights from various eCommerce influencers, successful online business owners, seasoned entrepreneurs, and industry experts. Engaging with this content will help you gain valuable perspectives and actionable advice from some of the leading minds in the eCommerce sector.
Learn from The Best in eCommerce
So there you have it! Learn the best practices from these eCommerce influencers. No matter which eCommerce platform you use, their insights on influencer marketing, content marketing, and running online stores can provide valuable lessons and practical tips to help you succeed.
